Showing posts with label village-stability-operations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label village-stability-operations. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Linda Robinson Interview - Village Stability Operations and SOF

Linda Robinson, an author and observer of the Special Operations Community, was recently interviewed about her newest book. Much of the interview centered on the Village Stability Operations (VSO) program launched in 2011 by the Combined Joint Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A). Read the interview entitled "Village Stability Operations and the Future of the American Way of War", Small Wars Journal, February 6, 2014.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Paper - Hurdles to U.S. Stabilization Operations

A former defense analyst, Renanah Miles, writes a paper explaining why civilian agencies were unable to develop effective programs to assist the military in stabilization and counterinsurgency efforts in the Iraq and Afghan wars. The paper is entitled "The (Many) Hurdles to U.S. Stabilization Operations". You can read the paper posted on the Lawfare Blog here.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

ALP and VSO Prove Successful in Afghanistan

ALP conducting weapons training.
(Photo SSG Wright CJSOTF-A)
A commentator who has been following the progress of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) and Village Stability Operations (VSO) programs in Afghanistan has provided an update. See "Report: Afghan local counterinsurgency programs prove successful", by CJ Radin of Threat Matrix Blog of The Long War Journal, April 4, 2012.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Reintegration and ALP: A Bad Combination?

Recent reports indicate that a Taliban fighter who recently passed through the Afghan government's reintegration program and subsequently was accepted into Afghan Local Police (ALP) killed nine other ALP members. The Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program or APRP tries to get Taliban fighters to quit fighting and return (or reintegrate) back to Afghan society. The APRP offers pay for the first three months and then subsequent vocational training. There are reports that some Taliban reintegrees have been assimilated into the Afghan Local Police or ALP. The ALP is associated with the Village Stability Operations program - sometimes referred to as VSO. The ALP is a part of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and is heavily supported and trained by the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan or CFSOCC-A. Read more on the reintegrated Taliban fighter and ALP member who killed his fellow policemen in "Rogue Afghan police officer: A Taliban infiltrator's road to fratricide", The Washington Post, April 1, 2012. Unfortunately, the recruiting of former Taliban into the Afghan Local Police is going to result in an increased number of insider threat incidents.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Afghan Local Police (ALP) an Important Part in Counterinsurgency Strategy

The Afghan Local Police or ALP are playing a quiet but huge role in the counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan. The ALP is a part of the Village Stability Program or VSO that provides security, governance, and development to local communities and attempts to tie these villages to the district center throughout rural Afghanistan. Read more in "Afghan Local Police key to success against Taliban", The Washington Times, March 29, 2012.

Monday, March 26, 2012

SOF Troops Hold Village Stabilty Operations (VSO) Conference to Prepare for Afghan Mission

Representatives from different special operations forces recently gathered at a week-long conference in Orlando, Florida to learn more about Village Stability Operations or VSO. The SOF representatives will return to their units and pass on their new knowledge on VSO to other unit members in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan. Read more in "Special ops forces trying to stabilize rural Afghan villages", Tampa Bay Online, March 26, 2012.

Monday, February 13, 2012

3rd Infantry Division Learns about Village Stability Operations (VSO)

The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division recently spent two weeks at Fort Irwin's National Training Center (NTC) learning about the Village Stability Operations (VSO) mission they will be conducting in Afghanistan.  Upon reaching Afghanistan the Soldiers will be split up into small units - squad or platoon sized elements - and attached to special operations forces detachments (Special Forces, SEALs, and MARSOC) conducting Village Stability Operations.  This has been successfully done with two other infantry battalions over the past year with great results - allowing SOF to expand their footprint in key areas of Afghanistan as they set up VSO sites and establish local units of Afghan Local Police or ALP. Read more in "Fort Irwin training creates new sort of soldier", The Sun, February 12, 2012.